Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Back On Track

One of my personal favorite albums, Swiss Hard Rock Outfit, Shakra, have released their 8th original album entitled Back On Track. This album is a mix of hard rock and some hints of heavy metal. Its more so classified as melodic hard rock. It has elements of rock and roll but at the same time, melodic solos and choruses satisfy the listener. Not only are there pumping hard rock songs, the album also delivers soft, rock and roll melodies. This album debuts new singer ,John Prakesh. He is the third singer the band has had so far. I can see Prakesh being influenced by Motley Crue frontman, Vince Neil. His voice has similarities to that of Neil. The rest of the members have been with the band since their debut in 1997. This album remains true to the roots of rock and roll keeping the songs structurally sound and simple. 


Upon starting the album, B True B You injects your ears with raunchy guitars and rhythmic drumming encompassing the listener with catchy choruses that will most likely be stuck in your head. Power, riffs, amazing solos, I say put that amp on level 10! 


Not only are these guys able to show their hard side, they can show us that they have a sensitive side. When I See You, is a slower track that include acoustic bits. Romaticism is really shown here. Yesterday's Gone is also a soft song but has a bit of heavy chords in it. This song really shows off the melody and power of the singer. There is a reason he was recruited as the new singer. Lonesomeness can easily be the ballad of the album. The solo has a lot of feeling to it and is not fast at all.


The ending of the album brings us back on track to where we started in the beginning. Time to crank that amp to 10 again. Stronger Than Ever brings back the crazy side of Shakra. This song is real fast paced. The final track on the album, Stronger Than Ever, is a perfect way to end the album. This song has again, heavy chords and verses, but also gives us somewhat of an anthem theme here. The solo is the longest of the album and fills the listener with speed and arpeggios. A lot of pinch harmonics are seen in this song.


My personal favorite tracks off the album are, B True B You, When I see You, Yesterday's Gone, and Stronger Than Ever. These guys have sounding similarites to rock and rolls legends Van Halen, Def Leppard, and AC/DC. All their songs are radio friendly. Shakra have toured along with the likes of Guns N' Roses and have opened for Iron Maiden. Here is their links to their websites:


Myspace: www.myspace.com/shakrarock
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ShakraBand
Official Website: www.shakra.ch/


On their website you can purchase any of their albums. The band is currently taking a break and will soon be writing new material for their next album scheduled for a release in late 2012. Their fanbase is slowly growing and are already reaching high success in Europe alone. As I always say Keep Rocking Everyone!